Airship.



S. D. WHEELER.

AIBBHIP.

APPLICATION FILED 11110.8, 1909.

1,001,72r. V Pai ented Aug; 29, 1911.

a annmHnnm 1.

5 umwzzzzmamg s. 1). WHEELER. AIBSHIP.

APPLICATION TIL ED D20. 8, 1909.

1,001,721. Patented Ah 29, 1911.

I SHEETHHEET 2.

SAMUEL D. WHEELER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AIRSHII.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

Application flied December 8, 1909. Serial No. 532,014.

To all uihom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL 1). WHEELER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented-certain new and useful Improvements'in Air-ships, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to air-ships and more s ecifically to propellingand steering means t erefor.

The object of my invent-ion is the provision of improved propelling and"steering means for aerial craft which will render the latter applicableto travel at a greater rate of speed than is possible at the presenttime with air-ships of the present design, and which will make itpossible to steer an airship with greater facilit and accuracy.

A further object is t e provision ofimproved propelling, and steeringmechanism as mentioned which will beof great effectiveness and whichwill be comparatively simple of construction.

Other objects .will appear hereinafter.

With these objects in viewmy invention consists in improvementscharacterized as above mentioned and in certain details of constructionand arrangement of parts all as will be hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to. theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and inwhich, 1

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the rear end portion of an air-shipshowing the arrange- Fig. 2 is a. central device detached, taken onsubstantially the line w-w of Fig. 3,-Fig. 3 is a slightlywnlargedlongitudinal section taken on substantially the line y-y of Fig. 2; andFigs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections taken on lines 2 -2 and ev -1w offieferring now to the drawings, 1 represents the frame-work or body ofan ordinary airhip, 2 indicating one of the elevatmg gas bags thereforsecured as by ropes 3 thereto. Mounted in the frame-work 1 adjacent therearward end thereof is a' motor 4, directlyconnected to which is thescrew pro eller 5 of the of t e' motor 4 in axial alinement with thepower shaft thereof, is a cylindrical tube 6 ship. Mounted rearward openat both ends. Said tube is of a diameter slightly greater than that ofthe circle described by the propeller 5, the rearward extremity thereofenveloping said propeller as illustrated. Provided in said tube are twolongitudinally extending vertically (lisposed partitions 7 substantiallyco-exicnsive in length therewith. Said-partitions divide the interior ofsaid tube into three passages, a central passage 8 and two similar outerpassages 9. Having its stem 10 centrally mounted at the rearwardextremity of said tube in diametrically opposed projecting bearings 10arranged upon said rearward extremity of said tube is a verticallydisposed rudder blade 11. 12 is the operating cord for said rudder, thesame passing around a channel 'pulley 13 provided upon the upperextremity of the stem 10, and extending forwardly therefrom to. andbeing operatively connected with a hand-wheel 14;.

Mounted in each of the passages 9 upon brackets 15 arranged, upon thepartitions 7 asshown, is a blower 16 of suitable design and driven byany suitable means carried in the ship frame-work. Said blowers areadapted to force air forwardly in the passages 9 into contact with thecomprising blades of the propeller 5. With such provision, it isevident, that the air forced forwardly against the propeller bladesincreases the normal atmospheric resistance to said bladestherebynecessarily roportionally increasing the propelling e cctiveness of thesame; it being clear, that the greater the atmospheric resistance to therearward or operative surfaces of said blades the greater will be thepropelling effectiveness thereof.

*The air forced forwardly in the'passages 9 will be forced rearwardly bythe propeller through the passage 8, as indicated by arrows. Thus air isirected, as seen, to either side of the rudder blade, this increaseddraft uponthe latter evidently increasing the effectiveness thereof andthereby making it possible to steer the ship with greater facility.

While I have shown what I deem to be the preferable form of my device Ido not wish to be limited ous changes made in the details ofconstruction and the arrangement of parts without departing from thespirit of the invention com rehcnded within the scope ofthe ap pen edclaims.

Having-described. my, invention what I thereto as there might be van, 5

\ air currents and claim as new and desire to Patent is I 1. Inaii; air.-ship,.a1propeller and a rudder arranged therein, in combination with afixed tubular member interposed between secure by- Letters saidpropeller and said rudder with its axis- 1n ahnement therewith,longitudinally extendin partitions dividing the interior of said tupassages, and means eratinga drafttand directing the same upon saidpropeller, substantially as' described.

2. 11 an air-ship, a propeller and a rudder arranged therein, incombination with a fixed tubular member interposed between saidpropeller and said rudder with its axis in ahnement therewith, saidtubular mem; her being open at both ends, longitudinally extendingpartitions-dividing the interior of said tubular memberinto' a pluralityof lon gitudinallyextending passages, and air blowers arranged in someofv said passages adapted to direct currents of air toward saidpropeller, substantially as described.

.3. In an air-ship, a propeller and a rudder arranged thereln, 1ncombination with a fixed tubular member interposed between saidpropeller and said rudder, longitudinally extending terior of said tuular member into a plurality of'longitudinally extending passages, onlyone of said passages communicating with said rudder, and means arrangedin the remainder of said passages for generatin said propeller,substantially as described.

ular member into a plurality of lo'n-, gitudinally extending arranged insome of said passages for genone of sald said rudder, each of the otherpassages adapted to direct artitions diwiding the indirecting the sametowar adapted to direct air currents toward said 1 propeller,substantially as described.

ropeller and said rudder with its axis In an a1r-sh1p,a screw propellerand a rudder arranged therein at the rearward end thereof,in combinationwith a fixed c'ylindrical tubular member interposed between saidropeller and saidrudder with its axis in a inement therewith, theforward end of said tubular member enveloping said pro eller, twovertically disposed longitudi- 1191 y extending partitions dividin theinterior of said tubular member into t irce longitudinally extendingpassages, the central and an air blower arranged in an air currenttoward said stantially as described.

In testimony naine to this specification in the presence oi twosubscribing witnesses. V

SAMUEL D. WHEELER.

propeller, sub- Witnesses:

JANET E. HOGAN, Josmm R. H.

whereof I have signed my passages communicating with-

